Switchbot Introduces New Matter Hub

One company we’ve not really featured on this website has been Switchbot, mostly due to the fact they’ve never really supported HomeKit in any official way until the release of their first officially compatible smart plug. That will soon change, however, as the company has now announced an updated hub that will be officially Matter compatible, which therefore means it’ll also work with Apple Home.

As the new Switchbot Hub 2 is Matter compatible, this means Switchbot devices that can connect to it will also be exposed to Matter, although this may well not include older devices in the company’s current lineup, which may be a point of consternation for some customers, but seems to be ‘par for the course’ with many companies that are getting onboard with Matter. Many of Switchbot’s devices use Bluetooth, hence the need for a hub that in turn allows the devices to be accessed both for smart home ecosystems (Google, Amazon etc) and remotely, when you’re away from home.

The new hub comes with a display, that includes a light sensor to adjust its brightness, and it also doubles up as a temperature and humidity sensor, showing readings for both metrics. In addition to the two sensors, there are a couple of buttons to trigger Switch bot scenes (only via the Switchbot app).

The hub will use 2.4GHz WiFi to connect to your network and smart home, as standard.

This isn’t something you see too often with hubs, so kudos to the company for this bit of foresight. An additional bonus is that these sensors are also exposed to HomeKit! As if that wasn’t enough, the hub also has a built-in IR blaster, which is something popularised by Aqara, amongst others, via their Hub M2, Camera Hub G3, and their P3 AC Companion.

The current plan is to release the new hub in February/March along with a new version of their popular Switchbot Curtain Motor.